DVIDS – News – USAG Italy marks two decades since September 11

VICENZA, Italy – Six hundred soldiers and their families observed a minute of silence during the U.S. Army’s Italian Garrison Solidarity Race on September 11. You could have heard a pin drop.

Led by Colonel Matthew Gomlak, Commander of USAG Italy, the event marked two decades since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The calm of the morning marked its solemnity.

“What I remember most from the past 20 years is the spirit of unity, strength and cohesion that followed in the weeks following the attacks,” said Gomlak, then a young man. infantry lieutenant on maneuver in Washington.

On that fateful morning, 19 Islamic terrorists hijacked four planes, killing nearly 3,000 people in the attacks. Two planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, the third crashed into the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. These attacks sparked major US counterterrorism initiatives, which sparked a 20-year war – the longest in US history.

USAG Italy chaplain Lt. Col. John Hubbs evoked feelings close to those of the garrison commander in his invocation.

“I hope we can continue to be united without tragedy causing it,” Hubbs said.

The virtual solidarity run, coordinated by Vicenza Family Morale, Welfare, and Recreation, took participants on a five-kilometer route. Some have chosen to run further in honor of the dead. The runners shared their experiences 20 years ago, where they were, how they saw communities – both foreign and national – come together.

Joshua Grant, FMWR’s bodybuilding and conditioning trainer for sports, fitness and aquatics, initially felt he was unable to coordinate the solidarity event. With recent global sensitivities to the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, Grant referred to internal struggles from his deployments.

“We deployed for 15 months, came back for a year, and then deployed again for another year,” Grant said.

His first and last duty station was the US Army Garrison Italy and, after being medically demobilized, he joined the Warrior Care and Transition Program and began volunteering for FMWR. Grant realized that after caring so much about the little details of the solidarity run, he was the right person to host the event.

“Even though this was an FMWR event, I thought there shouldn’t be any organization booths displayed as it could distract from the dead,” Grant said.

Over the years, approximately 50 soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade have lost their lives. Many of the runners were “Sky Soldiers”. Grant strategically planned the starting point of the Caserma Ederle Eternal Flame Race, where fallen heroes are honored.

“It hit me during the moment of silence,” Grant said, tears in his eyes. “You could feel that everyone was really thinking about the 9/11 attacks.”

Nearby at the dining room named for 1st Sgt. Michael Curry who was killed in Afghanistan, local Italian artist Eloisa Gobbo set up an exhibit with an American flag resembling a puzzle and patriotic images of the United States. On September 11, Gobbo was living in the United States and traveled to Manhattan just days after the attacks.

She recalled watching the TV news in disbelief and noticed the word “LIVE” covering the footage – providing the only proof that a movie was not being shown. In Manhattan, Gobbo was moved by the amount of American flags on display immediately after the attacks.

“America was galvanized by September 11 and developed a spirit of national cohesion,” Gobbo said.

Moved by the terrorist attacks, Gobbo created “United We Stand,” a huge unfinished American flag puzzle piece along with her photos she took in Manhattan. He has since traveled through Italy at various exhibitions.

“America was considered the most powerful country in the world before the September 11 attacks,” Gobbo said. “The American flag is incomplete, representing the vulnerabilities of the country. Yet the puzzle approach means the country is united.

Earlier this week, as Gobbo assembled the exhibit, with his daughter, Aura, 16, who was yet to be born, but who understands the meaning of this day and how it has changed the world.

“It’s an important day to remember,” she said. “I am cheerful and happy to help my mother.”